How to Accidentally Fall for Someone Your Kingdom Is Colonizing

The sun's glitter reflects in his hazel eyes. His lips curve into a gentle smile. His charm seems effortless, which feels inviting… and dangerous. His tender gestures contrast with his defined features. His sweet voice calls me closer, wrapping around all my senses. In that moment, everything else fades into a blurry backdrop; he is the sole focus of my attention. He ignites a wild desire—oh hell no, this is going to be dicey.

I might need to eat my own words since I've claimed to be immune to romance and whatnot. Perhaps I'm simply a late bloomer—no, a very late bloomer. After all these years, it's only now that I am experiencing falling in love. Or am I?

My daydream is cut short when I hear my cousins bickering in the background. Reality, compared to the dream, is… different. For one, there's no Willow, and two, I'm not out in a green valley—I'm in the garden of Aegir's mansion. Some elves call it a secret paradise—which I disagree with; it's a marvelous gem at most—within the human realm. The garden is luscious enough that tree fairies would envy it in an instant. The delightful scent of the flowers might make bees—and wasps to some extent, and other flower insects—decide to become permanent dwellers.

"That's just lust," Ondine says while sipping her tea. I somewhat agree with that; it would explain a lot.

"No, that's love!" Muiren chimes in, her eyes clearly gleaming with enthusiasm. That is probably true.

"Feels like something inside my stomach is doing somersaults," I say, gripping my stomach. I do feel like I'm going to puke.

"YES! That's your soul reaching out to him!" Muiren shouts, suddenly standing and bumping the table hard enough to rattle everything. She bypasses the possibility of me eating something weird and goes straight for the most unlikely culprit.

Did I eat something weird this morning? Let's see—what have I eaten so far? Oh, right, the cupcake. The peace offering of sugary substances. From Aspen. That was because Willow forcefully made him do it. Did he put something funky in it? That's a high possibility. That guy has bad blood with elves and does not bother hiding it.

"Honestly, Willow is an incredibly attractive human. No one would blame you for wanting to jump him the moment you laid eyes on him," Ondine remarks.

"I disagree. Liraeth doesn't even react to Faelan—FAELAN AITRIONACH! You know how he captivates the entire elven—" Muiren dramatically says.

"Half," Ondine interrupts.

"What?" Muiren says impatiently.

"Half the elven kingdom. Aegir captivates the rest. Honestly, Faelan doesn't hold a candle to our brother," Ondine replies.

I raise an eyebrow. "That's a strange thing to brag about."

"He's a halfie, practically a miracle—" Ondine begins.

"ANYWAY, she doesn't react to just anyone! But then, boom, this guy came into the picture and swept her out of her feet!" Muiren waves her hands dramatically as she emphasizes her point.

"He's attractive in a different way than Faelan. But I'd still argue it's just a passing attraction. Plus, you're biased since you have a crush on Faelan," Ondine says.

"No! For Liraeth, it's love at first sight! My love for Faelan is destiny! Do you even know how we met?" Muiren exclaims.

"Don't know, don't care. How old are you again?" Ondine says.

"I'm only a few minutes older than you! How dare you?" Muiren retorts, her temper rising.

"Sorry, it's easy to forget when we're so different in every way," Ondine replies, her expression deadpan. "Clearly, I'm the superior one,"

Muiren stands up, grabbing a stool. I know she's about to swing that. I hold her back, saying, "Okay, stop. I'm starting to regret bringing this up."

"What do you plan to do?" Ondine asks, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing? I mean... what am I even supposed to do?" I say hesitantly. It's not like I can just waltz in casually, like I always do in other scenarios.

"Pursue him!" Muiren chimes in.

I know I'm not a planner, and I always go with the flow. Even with all of that, this is the last thing I expected to happen to me. How has my whole world flipped upside down? Well, it started weeks ago.

♡☆♡☆♡

Weeks Prior

I sprint through the halls, ignoring a lot of voices that tell me to watch out, or slow down. My heart thumps wildly, not just from running, but also from a bit of excitement. I heard news, that may be my way out. I skid to a stop right in front of one of the rooms on this manor. I pushed the door open without a second thought.

"Marquess of Noctura, I heard you're about to embark on a journey to the human realm!" I say dramatically, trying to mimic some official ways of talking. While I'm trying to catch my breath. The Marquess isn't just any Marquess; he's my cousin, my ride or die—whether I like it or not.

"News spreads fast, it seems," Aegir says, flipping through some papers, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Do you even realize how shocked I am?" I say, hands on my hips.

"Nope," he says, barely looking up.

"That's just— Ugh! I heard it from Galadhrim! Can you believe it? Those isolated folks knew before I, your favorite cousin, found out."

"Debatable,"

"Come on! You know I'm the one with the best cook," I'm rolling my eyes dramatically. "You here, all calm and collected, while I'm left in the dark! What else might I hear next time? You are commanding the sea?"

"I do, in fact, command the sea," Aegir replies, a grin spreading across his face.

"WHAAAT? Since when? How? Is that even possible?"

"Sea fleet," he says, shrugging.

"Oh, I thought— But that's not the point! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Last time, you didn't even tell me or my father that the king granted you a title. We only found out at the ceremony! You know how—"

"I forgot to tell you. Keep in mind, I was on a battlefield. Informing people of unnecessary details didn't exactly cross my mind."

"Unnecessary. Okay, wow." I start massaging my temple. "I got sidetracked. Bring me along."

"Can't do."

"WHY?" I whisper, half-screaming.

"Ask your father,"

"Aren't you a Marquess now, too? You could probably go head-to-head with my father on this."

"Sure, but give me one good reason why I should bring you along."

"I'm your family,"

"Not a direct family,"

"Hey, you're the smart one here, right? Please help me out! Do you want me to rot here forever, not knowing what the outside world is like? Or do you want me to get eaten by orcs? Why would you all leave me here alone?"

"Just hang with your friends," he replies, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm not risking the wrath of Uncle Ronan. And by the way, orcs don't eat us. They're just at war with us."

"But the human world—"

"Ask your mom to put in a word for you."

I flinch at the suggestion. "Uh—did you know she's pregnant?"

"Yeah? What's your point?"

"I know all too well she'll want me there when the baby is born."

"Sentimentally, it makes sense. But seriously, just ask your father directly for permission."

"Oh, come on! If I could, I wouldn't be here asking you in the first place. My father has this absurd paranoia about the human world. This isn't going to go well. I can picture it perfectly in my head. Whenever I want something so badly but he won't let me, he always says, 'Command the sea, and then I shall let you.' It's his go-to line! He knows very well I can't."

I feel Aegir has a knowing look plastered on his face. I sigh, realizing there's no use in hiding the truth. "Well... there's also a suitor. He has a pedigree that rivals that of a rare breed unicorn. My father might actually agree to this arrangement."

"Pft! A pedigree like a rare breed unicorn? Really?" 

"I'm not lying!"

"Never said you were. But seriously, what nutjob would ask for your hand in marriage?" Aegir says, barely containing his laughter. "Is it Aitrionach?"

I nod.